The Best Laid Plans
by Fan of Fanfics
Summary: Waking in a new world, Naruto becomes the Ashikabi of a Sekirei thought impossible to wing. Now, he will compete in Minaka's game, and take everyone else along for a wild ride. Naruto/Akitsu pairing. Seriously, no like, no read. Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Hey people. Had a thought for a new story, couldn't resist writing it, so here is chapter one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Sekirei.

"Owwww" groaned a blonde boy who looked to be in his mid teens. He rubbed his head, getting off the ground to view his surroundings. However, it seems everyone in the area was interested in viewing him. Indeed, he drew the attention of many stares as the crowd gathered around him. To them, it was very strange. Never before had they seen anyone appear out of thin air, except maybe a magician. But to Naruto, it was…terrifying.

_Flashback_

_On one end of an ancient valley and the spectrum was one Sasuke Uchiha. His tan pants and blue shirt, along with his raven hair and Sharingan eyes were the exact opposite of the bright blonde hair and orange jumpsuit. Unfortunately, the mind of this one, Naruto Uzumaki, was not thinking of these differences. His mind was currently being tainted by the feral nature of the youki given him by the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox._

"_Sasuke!" he shouted, his mind clouded by anger._

"_Well Naruto"__ thought Sasuke. __"It seems you really are special. It doesn't matter."__ From his neck, an inky blackness began to spread, covering his whole body. His hair grew out and turned white, while the black markings covered every bit of skin, before absorbing in, making his skin a sickly pale color except for a black, four-pointed star on his nose. __"Because I'm more special than you."_

_Rushing at Sasuke, Rasengan in hand, Naruto slammed his attack at Sasuke, dragging him several yards. But once the dust settled, Naruto was shocked to see Sasuke unharmed. His eyes widened before a crunch was heard, followed by a sickening squelch. Jumping away, Naruto was just in time to dodge the large, hand-shaped wing that emerged from his back. Another moment and a second one also burst from his back._

"_Come on" shouted Sasuke, powering up his Chidori. "Let's finish this Naruto. Right now…one attack." Naruto just gave a feral ground in response. His red aura of youki flared as a new Rasengan formed in his hand. The two stood facing each other for several silent moments, before they jumped at each other._

"_Naruto!" shouted Sasuke, lunging at the blonde, who jumped at him with a similar battle cry, though his was directed at Sasuke rather than himself. For a moment, both sides felt as though time itself had slowed to a crawl. No sound, not even the chirp of the Chidori was heard by the two. And then, it happened. When the attacks collided, it was as if the amassed chakra of half of Konoha had been released all at once._

_Both pushed back against the other with all the strength they could muster. The power exploded outward, forming a sphere of white light, of pure power, around the two. It became everything to the two. All that they were before, all that they would ever be, all they were at that moment was the sphere of light. There was nothing that existed now to the two aside from each other and the sphere. Slowly it expanded, breaking into the ground, vaporizing the water beneath them from the very heat of the orb._

_Even through the light of the void within the sphere, both peered through at the other. They had become calm, the anger gone for the moment. All they could do was float and stare at the other. But it wouldn't last. Both boys were wracked with pain, as if their very beings were ripping to pieces. Naruto's pain subsided after a moment, and he noticed a barrier of youki protecting him, probably from the fox, as he hadn't called it. Sasuke's cursed seal however was nowhere near as powerful. It couldn't hold up under the strain. Naruto watched, and was forced to endure, his best friend scream as his skin exploded off his body, burning up in the white light around them. The muscle and tissue followed a slightly different action. Not melting, but purely burning into nothingness in a cascade effect around his body, until only his bones were left to tell the tale. And in another moment, even they were turned to nothing more than dust in the wind._

"_No…whispered Naruto, but it soon turned into a shout. "Noooooooooo!" And all was black, until a hard jar to the head, indicating he had hit something, woke him up._

_Flashback end_

Back to the present, Naruto could think. He could hear the people around him talking. Whispering among themselves. It seemed all to familiar. His eyes closed for a moment before re-opening and widening. The strange park area he had been in was gone. He was standing in an alley back in the village, surrounded by villagers. And the whispering had taken the most dramatic turn, switching from wonder and curiosity to hatred as he picked up words such as "Kill the Demon" and "Finish what the Fourth started!" One of them, presumably the leader of the mob, began moving closer.

In the park, people were nervous and confused. When the boy appeared, he seemed to be injured, or at the very least very banged up. If one looked closely enough, they would even see several burns on his body. The most noticeable of all was the large scar on his chest, which was revealed as he sat up, as the front of his shirt seemed to have been torn to shreds. As people whispered to themselves, one concerned citizen began to step toward him. "Hey kid?" he asked. "Are you in pain? Do you need medical attention?" The boy looked up at the man, confusion in his eyes, but that seemed to be giving way to some deeper feelings.

"Kid, it's time to end our pain. This time, no amount of medical attention will help you survive" snarled the leader as he inched his way closer. Naruto scrambled backwards, looking on in fear and hatred at these people. He risked his life for them, and for what. Hardening his gaze, he stood up and uttered a simple warning.

"Stay back." At the two words and the malice poured into them, the man stopped, looking around at the others, who were equally unnerved.

"Why do you want me to stay back?" the man asked. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not some sort of monster…"

"And just who the hell are you to tell me to stay back?" asked the leader, and Naruto's eyes narrowed. "We're going to hurt you worse than even you hurt all of us, you monster…" he continued, in both his words and his motion. As he reached out his hand to grab him, Naruto's anger took over. He quickly shot out his arm, grabbing the man by the wrist and twisting, easily breaking it with his youki-enhanced strength. Sometimes, anger did have its benefits. Acting quickly, he broke both the man's radius and ulna in the arm, causing them to burst out from under the skin, eliciting a satisfying howl of pain from the man before Naruto jammed the shark bone pieces into the man's side just above the hip, easily piercing the skin and muscles. Immediately, the angry mob went from enraged to panicked. It immediately broke up and its members ran in all directions, screaming about how he was a demon.

The crowd watched in horror as the man who had only tried to be kind to boy had his arm grabbed by the young blonde, who twisted it and squeezed until a sickening crunch was heard. Flipping his arm up, another sound was heard as bone shot up from beneath skin, and was promptly shoved back in again, only in the wrong place. Everyone was too stunned to move until someone screamed. After that, all hell broke loose. People ran this way and that, trying to get away from this blonde terror. But even as they ran, they could hear the boy shout a strange message.

"Not so fucking easy when I fight back, is it?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Realizing that they may be back with reinforcements soon, Naruto ran, ducking and dodging through the park, until he came to a secluded area. Well, almost. There was one woman sitting on the park bench, what Naruto thought was an old shop he had gone to as a child. One look at her and he saw only one thing. "_Haku?"_ The image shifted though and Naruto once more began seeing and thinking clearly. This was not Haku as Naruto had thought before. In fact, there were barely any similarities to them at a physical level. There was something about this young woman though. She had short, light brown hair, and wore a dreamy, yet equally sad expression on her face. She seemed to not have on much more than a blood stained lab coat. But her oddest feature was the red mark on her forehead, in the shape of a bird with images similar to the tomoe of a Sharingan eye positioned near the bottom. Deciding to chance his luck, Naruto slowly, cautiously, went up to the young woman, and began talking.

"Hey, what are you doing out here dressed like that for?" he asked. She merely moved her gaze to him, but for a second, Naruto thought he saw the release of the barest gasp.

"Ashikabi?" she whispered, making Naruto raise his brow.

"Ashikabi? Is that your name? My name is Naruto" he said. The girl still looked depressed, but at least he had gotten her interest.

"My name…" Naruto looked at her while she was speaking. "My name" she continued. "Is Akitsu."

"Akitsu? That's a cool name. Now though, why are you out here dressed like that? Are you trying to get sick?" he asked, but received no answer. "Come on, you can't just ignore me" he said. "It's impolite." Naruto watched, astounded as she seemed to think about what he said and found herself agreeing. But she too had a question.

"Why are you talking to me?" she asked.

"Why? Should I not be?" he asked back. "I just think you're interesting. You remind me of someone I once knew. An old friend."

"But I am not your friend" replied Akitsu. "I am merely a tool without a purpose, a weapon without a wielder. I am…useless." Naruto's eyes softened. Now Akitsu was definitely beginning to sound like Haku.

"Bull shit" he replied, making her eyes widen, if only slightly, and she turned to face him. When she tried to asked him what he meant, she was interrupted with the answer to the question she didn't ask. "Everyone on the planet has worth. For some, it is found farther within, but it is still there. I've only just met you, and yet you're worth something to me. Why? Because you merely talked with me. Not to me, but with me, regardless of how short our conversation was. The best weapon is the one that is never wielded, and the best tool is the one free to separate from the wielder and create on its own."

"I don't know" said Akitsu, in her depressed, melancholy way, beginning to stare at the ground.

"Do you live around here? I can take you to your home if you like, it's a bit chilly here" said Naruto.

"I have no home to speak of" replied Akitsu.

"Well, what a coincidence, I have nowhere to stay either. Maybe we could possibly find one together?" Akitsu looked up suddenly, finding a hand held out for her to take, a smiling face accompanying it. Cautiously, she took his hand, and immediately, she felt the slightest flicker of something. Her heart fluttered. For the first time in a long time, she had the feeling of warmth flow through her body. She had no idea how or why, but her body was reacting to this boy's touch, something that she had been informed would be impossible by the MBI President himself. His very words were "no Ashikabi in this world could cause her to react, allow her to emerge." Yet here, right now, this boy…

Farther off, a window rolled up on an expensive looking car. The two people inside, one older, and one decidedly younger, maybe around fifteen, were having a conversation.

"Are you sure you don't want me to just grab her?" asked the older.

"I'm quite sure, Mutsu" replied the boy, one Hayato Mikogami. "The scrap Sekirei would have been a fine bonus to my collection, but if she can't be winged, there would be no point in bringing her by force. Also, her inability to emerge means she is no threat to us."

Mutsu merely shrugged, turning to look out the back window in order to get a glimpse of the blonde boy with the wicked looking scar.

Had either group paid any attention, they would have seen a young woman and man blast off into the sky in a tornado like wind, parting the clouds as they went through.

The next day found Naruto and Akitsu checking into a nice hotel, utilizing "acquired funds" Naruto just happened to find. All in all, he found several hundreds of dollars, quite a few credit cards, and several I.D.s that were mysteriously altered by Naruto to allow their pictures on them. Of course, both knew that it was in fact stealing, but Naruto could think of no faster way to make money. Akitsu was impressed with his Shinobi skills, but only because of the fact she was unused to the sight of mere humans performing such feats.

During the last day, Akitsu's reactions to Naruto kept intensifying, especially given his insistence in holding her hand while they looked for a place to stay. He seemed as though he was unwilling to let go of her, like the act of him holding on symbolized something. What it was, Akitsu had no idea, but it was getting almost unbearable. She was forced to use her powers to try to cool herself down, but it was if the fire under her skin blazed hotter than the sun itself. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. She needed to cool her body down, and if she truly was reacting to Naruto, than the only way for her to cool down was for him to become her Ashikabi, and her to do what was specifically said could not be done.

As they entered the room, she dropped down on the bed, hardly able to stand. "Hey" said Naruto. "Are you alright Akitsu?" She could hear the true concern in his voice, making her wonder just what kind of boy Naruto was that he seemed to come to care for someone so quickly after meeting them. Naruto seemed to be bright illumination and a dark enigma wrapped into one. And if things went alright, he would be her Ashikabi as well. Feeling her forehead, Naruto could definitely feel the young woman was feverish. "Wow, you're burning up" he said. "I'm going to try to get a doctor, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned around only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. Turning back around, he came face to face with Akitsu, who had sat up on the bed.

"Naruto" she whispered, barely allowing him to hear. "I believe only you can stop this burning I feel inside my body. I beg of you, let me emerge, and be my Ashikabi." Naruto couldn't stop the usually stoic, almost drowsy girl from her sudden burst of power as she pulled his head to hers and their lips made contact in the form of a kiss. It was only a fraction of a second, but when they pulled away, Naruto was shocked. The symbol on her head shattered before fading in with her skin. Behind her, a bright light glowed, flashing and forming a large, odd pale blue pair of wings, which then rearranged into several smaller pairs of wings in the same color. In a moment, they had faded away, leaving nothing to show they had been there.

"Um, Akitsu…please explain…" said Naruto. And for the first time in a very long time, a semblance of a smile graced Akitsu's lips.

Chapter end

Alright, thoughts on chapter one? Any problems, as I know there will be, can be taken up with me. I won't bother telling you my next update plan, because I always end up getting inspiration for something else. Currently though, I'm working on Uzumaki X chapter 11, and Hidden Leaf Nights, chapter 3. I'm not going to say expect them soon, but hey, summer's almost here, so I have much more time to write. But remember, I am now and always have been a slave to my inspiration. I write whatever hits me at the time, so…yeah.

**By the way, I've posted a rather humiliating video of myself on YouTube, dancing to the song "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand (sp?) on the Wii game Just Dance 2. Therefore, anyone wanting to see me look like an idiot, I'll be posting the link on my profile shortly. There's a bit of background noise, as this is at my school yearbook party, but the sounds don't really retract from my embarrassment much. So enjoy :) . **

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, had to do chapter two. Things are still a bit hazy, but they will clear up and be answered with ever new chapter. You just have to keep reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sekirei

As Naruto lay in bed that night, he found himself unable to sleep. His mind kept drifting to the thing he had just been made a part of called the Sekirei plan. Akitsu's explanation was a bit odd to say the least. However, Naruto just figured she probably wasn't kept in the loop after being "discarded." That just made Naruto's blood boil with rage. Naruto knew that one day, he was going to find this Minaka person, and make him pay. And not just for Akitsu, but for the whole premise of the game itself. Forcing these girls out to fight in some sort of tournament was one thing. He grew up in a Shinobi village after all, where they trained children as young as seven in the ways of ninja. It was the entire idea of the Sekireis going out and bonding with someone, forming what sounded like a very important, special, powerful bond, and then forcing the loser never to see the other again. Minaka Hiroto was one twisted son of a bitch.

The other reason he found himself having a very difficult time sleeping, was Akitsu herself. After he had 'winged' her, she had opened up a bit more, but had also taken to remaining close. Thus explaining why in this hotel room, with two separate beds, one bed was occupied by both occupants of the room. However, Naruto was glad that he had sprung for a room with actual beds rather than futons. For one with so much energy, Naruto had a strange appreciation for a nice bed that nobody seemed to get, especially here. Akitsu though, had climbed strait into bed with him, curling up to his arm. Naruto noticed that while she was cold and distant before, it was not anywhere near the level it was at.

Naruto looked to his side at the young woman that was now his Sekirei. He had to admit, she did have a certain beauty to her. Without warning, Naruto felt a horrible headache come on. Trying to ignore it, he closed his eyes, but when they opened again, something was wrong. It wasn't Akitsu that was in bed next to him…but Haku. Quickly shaking his head to clear away the thoughts, he once more found it to be Akitsu, who was woken from her sleep from his movements.

"I'm sorry" she said. "Is something displeasing you Naruto?" She seemed almost distressed at the thought, so Naruto made up his mind to hers at ease.

"No, uh, nothing. Sorry, just a bit of a restless sleeper" said Naruto, trying to lie and hope that she would buy it. He was in luck, as she did indeed believe him to be speaking the truth.

"_Hey, Fox? I know we're not on the best of terms, but do you think you could tell me what's going on?" _asked Naruto through his thoughts, which he knew for a fact Kyuubi could hear. However, he received no answer, no message of any kind. He couldn't even make out the snoring of the great beast, which was generally loud enough in his mind that often times at night he would be startled awake by the broken breaths. But now there was nothing in the silence. _"Fox, I know you can hear me."_ Nothing. "_God damn it Fox, answer me!" _Once again, only silence. Trying to enter his Mindscape to speak with Kyuubi directly, Naruto found that he couldn't access it. It was like something was blocking him from his own mind. It was then Naruto remembered how he got to this world.

"_No…whispered Naruto, but it soon turned into a shout. "Noooooooooo!" And all was black, until a hard jar to the head, indicating he had hit something, woke him up._

"_Noooooooooo!" And all was black, until a hard jar to the head, indicating he had hit something, woke him up._

_Until a hard jar to the head, indicating he had hit something, woke him up._

_Hard jar to the head._

Naruto shook his head. Could a knock to the head really have cut him off from the Kyuubi? It would explain somethings, he told himself. The fact that he couldn't contact the fox or enter his mindscape seemed to say it was factual. And of course he remembered the day before, and how he channeled youki without attempting to or going to the fox for help, so the Nine-Tails was more than likely still kept locked away in his prison. He didn't know it at that time, but the very fact that he hadn't died of shock indicated there was still youki running through his chakra network.

"Naruto?" The voice of his new partner broke him from his musing.

"Hmm, what?" he asked Akitsu, who rolled over onto his chest, nearly giving him a nosebleed from the fact that underneath the covers he knew she was not wearing any clothing. A fact that had it not been known, would have been as her rather large breasts became pressed against his chest.

"I was just wondering. What's your world like?" Naruto's vision swam, as he was suddenly assaulted with memories. Rather painful memories at that. First, he saw with perfect clarity the night when the traitor Mizuki revealed to him the secret of what he held, to the also perfectly clear memory of Haku's lifeless body lying on the bridge, of him finding a hill and digging the graves for both her and her master. He saw the Sand-Sound invasion, and the destruction it had caused to the village. He relived placing a rose on the Old Man Hokage's coffin. And remembered most clearly, Sasuke being obliterated…something that he was in part responsible for.

"Trust me, compared to this one, my world is a fiery hell-hole. A bunch of men arguing over things like their own money and power, rather than about what's best for the people. And an army, willing to die for that purpose. People throw away their lives and for what? So a few old men can stand in their victory circle. Some people detract inwards, go insane…" Naruto paused there.

"I'm sorry, I do not mean to bring up any unwanted stress of the past. You do not have to answer my question" said Akitsu.

"No, it's fine" said Naruto. "Just a lot of bad memories. Anyway, I've been thinking about our position." Akitsu raised an eyebrow at this. "You were a 'discarded' number, and were stated completely unable to be winged. Thus, you were pretty much kicked out of the game. However, this gives us an advantage, because while we can't win technically, we can make sure other people lose."

"You mean you think we shouldn't participate, we should interfere?" she asked, getting a nod from Naruto.

"Exactly" he said. "We get a few laughs, and make sure only the worthy Ashikabi gets the big prize. Or maybe even get close enough to Minaka to take him down and put an end to the Sekirei plan altogether.

"MBI has an army? How would we possibly beat that?" asked Akitsu.

"See, that's the beauty of having me for an Ashikabi. I am a one-man army" said Naruto pulling his hands into a familiar cross shaped seal. In a burst of smoke, that luckily dissipated before it could activate a smoke alarm, the room went from nearly empty, to filled near capacity. Looking at the real Naruto than back to the room, she got up and touched the nearest one, finding it to be quite solid.

"You can copy yourself?" she asked.

"Yep" said Naruto. "One of the handier tricks I've learned. They're really only good for one or two hits, but against a normal army of civilian level people, it should be a piece of cake. However, we may need to rally other Ashikabi and Sekirei teams to our cause. I don't think it will be easy though."

"You are right. Many Sekirei are loyal to MBI and gladly participate in the game" said Akitsu.

"I thought as much" said Naruto, dismissing his clones, in small groups at a time. "But in the face of facts, and the connection they have to their Ashikabis, I believe we can get a few to join our cause. It's only a matter of…persuasion."

"If we are going to persuade anyone, we had better do it soon, before the Sekirei plan really starts to heat up. Once that time comes, it may be impossible to find anyone willing to stand against MBI. We're just lucky MBI will be too busy with monitoring the other Sekireis and Ashikabis to waste time monitoring the conversation of a disused number and her new friend" said Akitsu.

"As I said, we have a major advantage here. Nobody's expecting you, and they definitely are not expecting me" said Naruto. "Now we need to go find those other Sekirei who will join our cause. Put some clothes on. My guess is that there will be more than a few out there at night, so we should check out the city."

Within the recesses of Naruto's mind, a massive cage existed, housing the massive Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though what was decidedly abnormal was the flood of youki pouring out, flowing straight to Naruto's chakra pool, working through his chakra coils at an increased rate, changing his very body. In the cage, a roar of pain was heard, as red sparks flew across the cage bars, causing the entire room to shrink somehow. The fox slammed against one of the bars, managing to enlarge a crack that surely was not there before the journey between worlds.

The seal had fractured during the transition between the two worlds. Normally, the Fox would be thrilled, as that would be a chance for freedom. However, the Fourth Hokage was no fool, and had planned for such an event as a seal fracture. In such an event, the seal would rapidly feed Naruto's system the youki, and in doing so, kill off the fox.

"**So this is how I die?"** the giant, but slowly shrinking creature said to itself. **"Ironic. To save myself, I protected my jailor. But in protecting my jailor, I have killed myself."** Kyuubi looked around, trying to mentally contact his host, but to no avail. During the draining process, he could not speak to his jailor, and Naruto could not enter the mindscape.

Looking at the wall, the great fox slammed its paw and claws into the stone wall, carving out a message. If he was going to dies, he wasn't going to go out without doing the one duty he was sworn to do. Pass on his knowledge to the next generation, to his successor. He sighed as he admitted that the boy was going to lead the Kitsune clan, but continued to carve his message into the wall.

As he finished, he poured as much power as he could into the markings he scrawled out. This was it. With the loss of the energy for the seals, he had no more left to sustain his form. In a moment, the supposedly immortal Kyuubi no Kitsune died, and faded into the nothingness.

Naruto and Akitsu had no problem roof hopping. They had picked up the trail of two Sekirei's. Twins by the look of them, and probably heavily into S&M based on their outfits. They were following them at a fast pace, but made a point to stay hidden. For now, all they were interested in was observing.

As they leapt across two particularly high up buildings though, Naruto's vision went black. He felt his foot hit the edge of the building, but slipped and fell. He could not see, and felt himself fading into unconsciousness, and as such could not stop or correct his fall.

Hearing a shout, Akitsu turned to find Naruto behind her, falling far into the alleyway below. Her eyes widened in panic as she stopped her pursuit of the S&M girls before jumping into the alley as well. Expertly diving, she caught up with her Ashikabi, grabbing him before kicking off the wall, back and forth, using the motion to lessen what the impact would be like. There was still more than enough to knock them straight on their asses. The force from the landing caused Naruto's unconscious form to roll and slam into the side of the building.

"Naruto!" shouted Akitsu, quickly rushing to his side. She gave him a once over. He was still breathing, a good sign, but his heart was beating at an abnormal rate. "Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked, nudging his shoulder. She wasn't expecting quite as large of a reaction. His eyes flew open and rolled back into his head. She was honestly frightened when he began screaming, even more so when a strange red energy began to flow from his stomach. However, instead of backing away, she only gripped him in a powerful hug and held tight. After finally finding her Ashikabi, she wasn't about to lose him.

After passing out, Naruto found himself in his mindscape, standing before the Kyuubi's cage. But no longer was it a space so large it could fit the Hokage Tower twice over. It had seemingly shrunk to the size of a normal prison cell. "Hey Fox?" said Naruto. "Are you there? Hello?" Naruto cautiously entered the cell, finding it empty. But there was something inscribed on the walls. There was a strange symbol, with a message carved around it. Naruto read the message, and was shocked in what he found.

**Naruto. I know our relationship has never really been a good one, but that fact now is irrelevant. I had a choice to make. I saved your life, for the purpose of saving mine. My plan only backfired on me when the power I forced through you fractured the seal keeping me confined. When that happened, the absorption process was sped up to incredible levels. I would not have lasted much longer, so I decided something. I would die, but my power and my legacy would not. And so, it is with my authority as Kyuubi, to pass my title and power to you. Sealed within these inscriptions is my collective knowledge on everything. May you have the wisdom to use it properly. You will also notice that there is a symbol scratched into the wall as well. That is the mark of the Kyuubi. The moment you touch it, your new life will begin. I leave to you everything that is mine. Use it well, Runt.**

"Kyuubi…" whispered Naruto. Rereading the message, Naruto took a new look at the symbol on the wall. It was crude, but it appeared to be the sun. With the sun, it looked as though the Kyuubi were beneath it, his nine tails holding up the large orb effortlessly. Transfixed, Naruto reached out his hand, before making contact. Suddenly, the inscriptions glowed a red light, before they flew off of the wall, spinning rapidly around Naruto, before seeming to enter his body through the point where his head connected with the spine.

Trying to pull his hand away, Naruto found it was stuck on the symbol, held there as though caught in the grip of the great beast himself. He screamed as Youki was forced into his body, making him grow taller, causing his hair to grow out and turn wilder, and his whisker-marks widened and became more defined. His body was hit with waves of pain and pleasure as with each new influx of energy, a tail began to grow from his tailbone. His ears shifted to the top of his head, and became elongated and fox like, while his pupils turned to slits, and his irises became a blood red. He let out a scream as he was engulfed in a red light and ejected from the mindscape.

The same changes that were taking place in the mindscape were taking place in the real world as well. Naruto could tell the moment he opened his eyes to see his new tails sprawled on the ground around him. Feeling a weight on his chest, he saw Akitsu clinging to him for dear life, her eyes tightly closed and she was trembling.

"Hey" he said. "I'm alright, ok?" She stopped shaking for a moment and cracked open her eyes for a peak. "I'm fine" said Naruto again.

Using his tails, though unsure how he was using them, Naruto pushed himself to a standing position, Akitsu as well as she still had not let go of him.

"What happened?" she asked. "Why do you look different?" She immediately stopped asking questions as Naruto's demeanor shifted into something akin to depression.

"I'll tell you some other time. Right now we have to find the S&M twins again" said Naruto, who took a step forward and stepped on one of his tails, causing him to yelp at the feeling and stumble over another tail, knocking him on his ass.

"Uhhh" he grunted. "How does the Fox handle these things?" As he asked the question, Akitsu looked on as his eyes clouded over with something akin to a red mist. Naruto's breathing became shallow, before his changes slowly began retracting back, his tails and new ears disappearing. His height and hair however did not change back.

"Well" said Naruto, standing and dusting himself off. "That answers that. Now come on. We can still catch up to them if we hurry." Holding out his hand, Akitsu gave a slight nod before Naruto launched them both all the way to the top of the large building. It didn't take long to pick up the trail, as the twins seemed to leave an incredibly large wake of destruction, which was easy enough to follow. And with Naruto's new speed that he acquired from Kyuubi, they were gaining on the girls in no time.

They arrived on the scene just in time to see the twins brush off what Naruto would guess was another Sekirei. When the new Sekirei turned in their direction however, Naruto no longer saw the Sekirei. In his place was his Sensei, Kakashi Hatake.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto must have been a bit too loud, because he managed to draw the attention of the three Sekirei on the room.

"All right" said the masked-Sekirei. "Who are you?" Once he spoke, the image in Naruto's mind's eye shattered and faded, revealing the Sekirei as who he was once again.

"My name is Naruto, and I have no wish to enter a confrontation. I merely have a proposition for you" said Naruto.

"My name is Homura. What kind of proposition? And what is it you called me?" asked the masked one.

"Nothing, I just thought you were someone I knew. As for proposition, it's quite simple…" said Naruto. "I want to stop this thing called the 'Sekirei Plan' and if I get the chance, to make a certain Minaka Hiroto pay. Naruto took note that at the very least, the one called Homura seemed interested, but the Twins almost flipped at his suggestion.

"Are you CRAZY?" shouted the one in the darker outfit. "First off, they have an army, and second, you're never gonna get anything if you speak out loud about it."

"Hikari's right" said the other, though she wasn't nearly as worked up. "MBI has eyes and ears not only all around the town, but in space as well with those damn spy satellites. With so many Sekirei gathering right here, we're probably being watched right now."

"That may be so" said Naruto. "But if lots of Ashikabis and Sekireis band together, that army would be little more than a light breeze to walk against.

"You really are crazy" said Hikari, before turning to her sister. "Come on Hibiki, we should go find Seo. Knowing him he's probably out mooching food…again."

"At least think about it" said Naruto, as they left.

"Knowing them, they won't" said Homura. "However, if you go after Minaka, I want in. He's taking this whole thing way to far." With that, he too ran off, hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

Chapter End

Alright, two chapters in one day. Granted, they're short, but it's a real feat for me. Hope you enjoyed, and I'll be updating at my leisure, which could be a lot more because of summer.

_**IMPORTANT-Also, because Akitsu technically doesn't have a Norito, at least as of yet, I'm going to ask for some help. I have one I'm thinking of, but I'm looking for other ideas as well. Maybe I'll like one of your ideas better, maybe I'll combine two that I like into an awesome sounding Norito, or I may end up using mine. The point is that I need more ideas.**_

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three, coming at ya.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sekirei

Only a few days later found Naruto and Akitsu roof hopping once more. They had hit the game hard and fast, finding anyone they thought would either help them or needed help themselves. Because of the fact that Akitsu was not part of the game, MBI couldn't figure out what was going on. However, Naruto and Akitsu were sure never to eliminate any of the Sekirei unless it either couldn't be helped, or the Sekirei they were fighting was the victim of circumstance. Being forcibly winged by an Ashikabi whom they did not wish to be with, for example. It was a rarity, but in the six battles they had interfered with in the last day, two Sekirei they encountered had been forcibly winged.

However, instead of waiting for MBI, Naruto and Akitsu had taken the two with them, as nobody was really certain what happened to eliminated Sekirei. Currently, both had become part of Naruto's new resistance. As soon as the situation had been explained, both Sekirei eagerly agreed to help, both feeling to be in debt for freeing them, and also for the fact they might be able to find their true Ashikabis.

The first was Sekirei #59, Sora. Naruto and Akitsu freed her from her forced servitude to one Higa Izumi. Unlike Akitsu, she was not an elemental type Sekirei, using a pair of tonfa as weapons instead. The other Sekirei was being used by a particularly nasty Ashikabi, who already had a Sekirei, but like all men, only wanted more to prove his power. He was left alive merely from the fact that his other Sekirei actually liked him, and killing him would mean killing her as well. This Sekirei was Sekirei #31, named Amaya. A very strange Sekirei, as she constantly seemed to be conflicted in her emotions. She had long, straight blonde hair, and wore a jade green kimono, matching her eyes completely.

Her power was a unique one, allowing her to partially control weather. However, she seemed to be unsure herself how it worked, nor did she want to find out. What they did know was that her powers were partially linked to her emotions, as when she was happy, all the clouds in the sky would diminish, and when sad, it would begin to rain. Naruto figured that it was the fact she could only partially control the weather that she was not scraped like Akitsu, who Homura theorized was scrapped because of how powerful she was even without an Ashikabi. With one, her powers were heightened even farther.

The other limit to Amaya's power was she seemed to be unable to combine different powers. She could control wind, but if she was doing that, she couldn't do anything else at the time, like use lightning. This led Amaya to have several insecurities, feeling that if she could control just one element instead of many, it would be easier and better.

Akitsu had been working on her own power, using Naruto's references to Haku. She was as of yet unable to copy Naruto's description of how the ice mirrors worked, finding herself unable to enter the ice. She could mover her hand inside a shard of ice, but no more than that. As Naruto, Sora, and Akitsu hopped from rooftop to rooftop, Amaya used her power over the wind to allow her to glide along through the air. They all knew that by being with Naruto, the Sekirei he had liberated could potentially lead MBI straight to him, but it hadn't happened yet, causing Naruto to question Minaka and his motives.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The entire group turned at Sora's statement, and Naruto and Akitsu were surprised to see the S&M twins, Hikari and Hibiki if Naruto remembered their names correctly, attack several military vehicles and soldiers, seemingly attempting what looked like a heavily forested area.

"Hey, I know them" said Amaya, landing on the roof. "The lightning twins and their bum of an Ashikabi. Word is they only go after the un-winged. Creeps."

"Not if you think about it" said Naruto. "Most would think they're trying to thin the competition, and that may be. But by defeating the un-winged, they also spare them of forming a bond with an Ashikabi and then having that bond broken."

"Naruto is right" said Akitsu. "Perhaps we should once again see if we can't convince them to join us. Perhaps they already have, if they are attacking military personnel and vehicles."

"Right. Ladies, let's follow. I'm curious too of what's in there that would lead them to attack" said Naruto, who didn't believe they would have decided to join. The girls nodded before all four jumped down, landing as the flames caused by the lightning strikes had gone down and the Twins, their Ashikabi, and one other boy had entered the forest. They were about to follow, but a wall of flame came up, blocking their entrance.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't allow you to anyone to enter here, even you." Naruto turned to his side to find Homura leaning against the fence blocking off the forest.

"And why's that?" asked Naruto. "What's in there that I don't know about?" Receiving no answer, Naruto laughed. "Really Homura?" he asked, getting what was going on. Homura was after all the self-proclaimed Sekirei guardian. "You should know that I have no interest in getting involved in the game myself. If there is an un-winged in there, she won't be winged by me." Homura just stared at Naruto before the flames died down.

"Thank you" said Naruto, entering the forest, the Sekireis following suit. Homura just sighed as he watched the retreating form of Naruto.

"Just make sure nothing happens to that little girl" uttered Homura under his breath.

Traveling through the trees and the thick bushes, everything was almost too quiet. It was as if with all the life in the forest, the darkness that existed there at night absorbed everything. That's why the next sound Naruto heard was so profound. Whipping around at the hissing, Naruto took a step back in surprise at the huge snake that was slithering around the trunk of a tree.

Naruto clutched his head, feeling as though a dozen exploding tags had detonated inside it simultaneously. Shouting from the pain, the girls, who at this point had gone a small ways ahead, turned to find Naruto on his knees, clutching his head in pain.

The shadows suddenly rose, wrapping around the snake, becoming one with it, before the snake began to rise. Its now shadowy form shifted, growing legs and arms, becoming humanlike in appearance.

"Hahahaha" chuckled the shadows. "Surprised to see me, Nar-u-to?" said the shadows in an eerily familiar voice. Forcing himself to look despite his pain, he watched the shadows fade, the form of Orochimaru standing before him. "You may have protected him from me" said Orochimaru, opening his mouth, a sword being sent up his throat by a snake. "But you couldn't save him from yourself." Naruto narrowed his eyes. Standing up through the pain, Naruto subconsciously began channeling youki to his hand, causing it to become claw like.

"Now DIE!" shouted the snake man.

"NOOOOOOO!" shouted Naruto, swiping at the man in front of him. His strike didn't connect with Orochimaru, but it had some explosive results. The youki powered claws had literally torn the entire area, creating a ruined ditch before Naruto, digging a meter deep, five meters across, and ten meters straight ahead.

Breathing deeply, the three Sekirei came to observe the damage. "Naruto" asked Akitsu. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you see him?" asked Naruto.

"See who?" asked Sora. "You were the only other person here."

"No" said Naruto angrily. "HE was here. Orochimaru. There was this snake that came from nowhere. It turned into him, I SAW IT!"

"Do you mean this little guy?" The three turned to see Amaya, holding something incredibly tiny in her hands. Upon closer inspection, it was the head of a tiny snake. "It's just a little garden snake. Completely harmless. Are you sure you saw what you saw?"

"Yes, I'm positive, I mean…I think I am…" Naruto looked at the crater he had made, remembered how real, how vivid it all seemed. Shaking it off, Naruto moved past the girls. "Must have been a trick of the light. Come on, we still have some people to find." But on the inside, he was having doubts.

"_Was it all…"_ he thought, "_just in my head?"_ "Girls" he said. "I'm going to go on ahead. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. This place is giving me the creeps. Reminds me too much of home." With that, he let loose a burst of speed and appeared to phase out of existence.

One of Naruto's abilities he had gained from Kyuubi was a heightened sense of his surroundings, including the ability to feel where others were by sensing their chakra from great distances. Using this, he arrived in a particularly wide clearing, just in time to distract a scythe-wielding woman from using her weapon of choice on a small child.

"Whoa" she exclaimed. "And just who the hell are you?"

"It's more polite to introduce yourself first" said Naruto, making the young woman, obviously a Sekirei, snarl at him.

"I'm Sekirei 43, Yomi" she said. "Now, if you don't mind, either answer my question or go away. I have work to do." As Yomi turned back to the small girl, she was shocked to find the man standing between her and the target. Looking back, she saw him in the same spot as before, walking toward her. Suddenly, she was grabbed and held by both arms, as well as around her legs and waist. Looking in any direction, she saw him, dozens of him.

"Ah, get OFF me you pervert!" she shouted.

"That's good blondie, just hold her right there." Yomi, Naruto, and all of his clones raised an eyebrow at the voice, before Yomi and the clones restraining her were hit with an electric shock, dispersing the clones.

"Ow" said Naruto, feeling what his clones had felt when they dispersed. "You could have given me more warning you know."

"Yeah yeah" said Hikari, stepping out from the brush with her Sekirei sister and their Ashikabi, as well as the boy from before. "So, still planning to bring a beatdown to MBI?"

"You still going to ignore my asking for help?" asked Naruto in response.

"Yep" said Hibiki.

"Wait, you know this guy?" asked their Ashikabi.

"Unfortunately" said Hikari.

"Huh, interesting. Hey Kid, I think that little one is your Sekirei right there" said the man.

"Uh, right" said the younger man, running past the coming-to Yomi reaching the young girl just as Yomi stood up.

"Oh no you don't" said Yomi, preparing to strike the young man with her scythe.

"Shit, he's not gonna make it" said Naruto, lunging in the path of the swing, taking the brunt of the attack, which formed a huge vacuum, feeling as though hundreds of blades were slashing him at once. When it had subsided, Naruto eager gulped down air, filling his lungs.

"I'm impressed" said Yomi, putting her scythe over her shoulder. "I didn't think any human could survive that."

"I've been through worse" said Naruto, as suddenly, his shirt shredded, falling apart. Once his chest could be seen, many grimaced at the giant scar that moved across his chest, right over his heart. "You think that's bad" said Naruto. "You should see the back." Turning, Naruto showed them his back, a similar scar running along it. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the results of being impaled" said Naruto.

"How the hell'd you survive something like that?" asked the twin's Ashikabi.

"Let's just say I'm…special" replied Naruto.

"Well, let's see you manage when I turn it up a notch!" shouted Yomi, swinging her scythe, forming the vacuum again. This time however, the strength was so intense Naruto was flung back into a tree. Landing on his feet, however, made Yomi frown.

"You are a TOUGH one aren't you?" she asked, swinging her scythe on the word tough. Naruto, expecting the vacuum again, raised his arms to defend, and was met with a surprise. No vacuum, just a burning pain and the better part of his left arm falling to the ground.

"Gaahhhhh" shouted Naruto in obvious pain, as Yomi just chuckled.

"Now let's see" she said, a stupid grin on her face. "You still have some clothes, and if your physical condition is anything to go by, you're probably packing something a little extra down there. Let's just take a looksee." Swinging her scythe, Naruto was knocked off his feet, his pants shredding like his shirt, leaving him in only a pair of red boxer shorts.

"_Oh great"_ thought Naruto. _"My first real fight, and the girl is a pervert." _

"Just one layer to go" she said, bringing her scythe back for another swing.

"Seo, we should probably help him" said Hibiki.

"No," said their Ashikabi, now named Seo. "I want to see what he does."

"Seo?" said Hikari quizzically. Sometimes, their Ashikabi was a bit strange.

"Now!" shouted Yomi, bringing the scythe down. When she did, Naruto disappeared, and the blade of her weapon jammed itself into the ground. Her eyes widened when he reappeared, standing on top of it. Rearing back with the hand she hadn't cut off, he threw a punch to the face that sent her reeling. Jumping on the other end of her weapon, it dislodged from the ground, flying into the air as if launched in a catapult. It went straight up, and began coming down, but stopped in midair a small distance above Naruto.

Naruto's eyes rolled back into his head, and a strange red energy flowed from the stump his arm used to be, concentrating in smaller areas, before hardening and forming a skeletal arm, holding up the scythe. Then more red energy flowed, crawling down the bone, solidifying into muscle, before his skin did something similar. In a matter of seconds, his arm had fully regenerated, and his eyes came back down.

"That explains his survival" said Seo. Looking behind Naruto, he saw that the other person with him was seemingly frozen, transfixed at the scene unfolding before him. "Oh geez kid, are you gonna get the Green Girl, or not?" That seemed to snap him out of it, because he suddenly made a mad dash for the child.

"Crap" said Yomi, and when Naruto turned to see what was transpiring she leapt up and kicked him in the face, making him stumble backwards, letting her reacquire her scythe. Just as Naruto was about to intervene again, a new presence made itself known, and the scythe was caught by a new girl, obviously a Sekirei, between her hands.

"This is way too sharp" said the brown haired Sekirei. Making a quick jerking motion, the end of the scythe snapped off. "There" she said. "That's better."

Dropping to her knees, anime style tears poured from Yomi's eyes, mourning her now broken weapon. Her anguish turned to rage in a heartbeat, and all of it was aimed at the new girl. A fight broke out between the two, but Naruto was already walking away.

"Naruto" said Akitsu, who had at that point been watching for a while. "Aren't we going to help?"

"He wants this Sekirei, than his other one can fight for it. It looks like at least the young one is naturally reacting to him" said Naruto. "Let's head home for now. We'll keep an eye on this kid. He may join us."

"Right" said Akitsu, turning to walk with him as Yomi was knocked to the ground, a finger pointed at her crest, a Norito uttered, a Sekirei defeated. "Sora and Amaya are waiting outside the arboretum. After your freak out, they became a little paranoid."

"That seems to be going around" said Naruto darkly, as he and Akitsu disappeared in the darkness of the forest.

Chapter end.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and Naruto and Akitsu will both be fighting sometime next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the addition of my two Sekirei tag-alongs. Sora is actually based on a character that is in two pages of the Manga. She never is named or numbered, which is perfect. Amaya is just a Sekirei Number that hasn't shown up yet. I just gave her a name, appearance, and power.

_**IMPORTANT-Also, because Akitsu technically doesn't have a Norito, at least as of yet, I'm going to ask for some help. I have one I'm thinking of, but I'm looking for other ideas as well. Maybe I'll like one of your ideas better, maybe I'll combine two that I like into an awesome sounding Norito, or I may end up using mine. The point is that I need more ideas.**_

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics.


	4. Chapter 4

Here you are. Slightly shorter than the last ones, but still, here it is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Sekirei

Flipping the page of the newspaper, Naruto took a sip of coffee. He and Akitsu sat in the outdoor section of a small café in the heart of the city. Akitsu had an iced coffee drink, which as it slowly melted in the heat, would instantly freeze up again through her powers. At another table, Sora and Amaya were sitting at another table right next to the Ashikabi/Sekirei duo.

"Are you sure she's going to come, Sora?" asked Naruto. "I would hope she understood the message you delivered."

"If she thinks I still work for Higa, she'll come" replied Sora, leaning back in her chair. "And speak of the devil." Walking into the area, a young woman looked at them with curiosity, before walking up to Sora.

"So" she said. "Who does Higa want terminated this time?"

"Higa doesn't want anyone terminated" said Naruto from behind his paper. "Uzume, I presume. Sit down. I have a proposition to discuss with you." Turning to him, Uzume pulled out her chair, eyes darting back and forth, trying to see if she was possibly being watched.

"I assure you, we are quite secure here, aside from the odd passerby" said Naruto.

"So who are you?" asked Uzume. "And if Higa's not calling the shots, why is Sora here?" Naruto merely motioned toward the tonfa wielding Sekirei, who turned, making Uzume's eyes widen in shock, as her Sekirei symbol had vanished.

"So you were terminated?" she asked, getting a nod from Sora as she leaned back in her chair again. "So do you work for MBI then?" asked Uzume, turning back to Naruto, who frowned and folded up his paper, before folding his fingers in front of his face.

"Hardly" replied Naruto. "Just someone who feels that it's his moral duty to fuck up Minaka's little game. And if I really wanna do that, I need the help of as many Sekirei and Ashikabi as possible."

"And that's what you want me for" said Uzume, easily putting two and two together. "I'm sure you know Higa hates Minaka quite a bit?"

"As a matter of fact I do know that" replied Naruto. "However, Higa is a creep that deserves to burn in hell for all eternity…But I'm sure you knew that as well. After all, he is the man holding your Ashikabi hostage." Uzume growled and clenched her fists.

"Sora informed me of your situation" said Naruto. "And I think I can help you, in return for your services."

"So what makes you different than Higa?" asked Uzume, not sure about trusting him, and he just chuckled.

"Well, for starters, I can not only liberate your Ashikabi from Higa's grasp…but I can heal her as well, unlike your current 'master" said Naruto, making Uzume's eyes narrow.

"Are you telling the truth?" she asked. Naruto just turned to Amaya, who had remained silent for the entire exchange.

"Amaya, if you would?" he said, nodding his head up to a bird sitting on a flag pole above them. The girl nodded, before holding up her hand and focusing, causing a blast of lightning to slam into the bird, killing it instantly. Uzume scooted away from the table a bit as the fried bird fell to the table they were sitting at. All that was left was a crisp, half featherless bird.

"Would you agree that this bird is gravely ill?" asked Naruto, to which Uzume stood up and shouted.

"Ill? It's dead!" shouted the browned-haired Sekirei. "What are you going to prove?"

"My point, Miss Uzume" replied Naruto. "I'm merely proving my point. Now, I admit, I am still new to this myself. However, it works, as you will see." Picking up the bird and holding it out to Uzume, a red energy, which seemed to flow from his hands like some sort of liquid fire, was exuded from both hands and seemed to absorb into the bird.

Uzume looked on in curiosity, as for a moment, nothing happened. Then, to her surprise, the scorched feathers of the bird began to reform, regaining their color as new feathers grew to replace those that had been lost. The areas around the bird's eyes twitched, before they opened. Regaining the use of its legs, the bird stood in Naruto's hand, looking for the entire world as if nothing unfortunate had ever happened to it. Spreading its wings, it took off into the sky. As Uzume watched it fly into the distance, Naruto cleared his throat, causing her attention to return to him.

"You can actually do it, can't you?" she asked.

"Yes I can" replied Naruto. "So here's the deal. While Akitsu and Amaya cause a distraction outside, You, I, and Sora will sneak in, where I will completely heal your Ashikabi, allowing for us to move her. I'm assuming you have a safe place to bring her?" Realizing he was waiting for an answer, Uzume nodded.

"Good. After healing her, we'll take her there" continued Naruto. "I'll cover your escape. If all goes well, Higa Izumi will never bother either of you again. And if he does, I will make certain that he dies a very slow, and very painful death…Do we have a deal?" Holding out his hand, he saw the resolve in Uzume's eyes as she took his hand.

"Excellent" he said. "Now then, we have the how, we have the why, now all that needs done is to decide on the when."

"As soon as possible" replied Uzume. "The sooner Chiho is out of that place, the better." Naruto just nodded, before taking a sip from his coffee.

"So tell me a bit about your Ashikabi" he said. "She must be very special." Uzume just smiled.

"She is" she said, nodding. "She's just so sweet, and kind, and loving. I've never met anyone like her before. She's just so…amazing." Naruto smiled now.

"How old is she?" he asked. He already knew the answer, of course, thanks to Sora, who was privy to that information. But talking about her Ashikabi seemed to calm Uzume, who was still a bit unnerved by his simple offer to help, and his strange ability to heal.

"She's 15" replied Uzume. "But she's much more mature than that age would seem." Naruto nodded, before standing up.

"Well" he said. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance Uzume" said Naruto. "And now I think it's time to stop talking about your Ashikabi, and actually go get her. Go prepare yourself. We'll meet you on the roof of this café in two hours before we attack."

"Thank you so much…" trailed off Uzume, before sheepishly rubbing the back of her head and laughing. "You know" she continued. "I don't think you ever told me your name." Naruto just smiled.

"You can call me Naruto" he replied. "And the only thanks I need are seeing you and your Ashikabi together, and Minaka Hiroto in a grave. See you later." Seeing that their conversation was finished, Uzume dashed off, eager to get home and make ready.

"Are you all ready?" asked Naruto. Sora and Amaya nodded.

"We are" said Akitsu.

"Good" replied Naruto. "Now we need to-" Naruto froze midsentence as he caught a glimpse of the other side of the street. Leaning against the wall of the alleyway, stood Orochimaru, grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. Or the snake, as the case may be. A car drove past, obstructing Naruto's vision, and when it moved Orochimaru was gone.

"You three stay here" he ordered, standing. "I have to go check something out."

"Are you alright?" asked Akitsu, concern evident in her voice.

"Kami, I hope so" said Naruto, rubbing his eyes. "Just stay put for now." The three Sekirei nodded hesitantly, and Naruto leapt to the other side of the road, entering the alley cautiously. As he made his way further inward, a black mist seemed to roll in, making it impossible to see anything. It was then that he heard the icy chuckle that could only come from the Snake-Sannin.

"Hello again, my dear Kyuubi-brat" rang out the voice of Orochimaru, mocking Naruto. "It seems we just can't stay away from each other, can we?"

As Orochimaru laughed, Naruto took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began chanting, "You aren't real, you're just in my head. You aren't real, you're just in my head." As he said the words over and over, it caused Orochimaru to laugh even harder.

"Not real, am I?" he asked. Naruto still couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. "Oh Naruto, I'm hurt that you would think that." He chuckled more before continuing. "Though if I'm not, I must say, I'm rather flattered that even here in this world, I inspire such fear in you." Naruto's eyes shot open.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" he asked. "Don't make me laugh, you pale-faced psycho. You're just a figment of my imagination. You're not even here right now. All of this is just in my head. YOU AREN'T REAL!"

"Ah yes" said Orochimaru. "You can deny it all you like, Naruto. And I assure you, that this is all just in your head." Naruto stiffened as he felt the presence right behind him and the voice of the man whispered directly into his ear. "But that doesn't make it any less real." With these words, Orochimaru slipped a kunai from his sleeve, slicing it across Naruto's arm. Whipping around, the blonde ninja prepared to put one of his clawed hands into the snake-man's skull.

Before he could make contact, the fog disappeared without a trace, and Orochimaru faded. All that was left, was Akitsu. Naruto's eyes widened and he stopped himself an inch from clawing her in the face. In shock over what he had almost done, Naruto dropped to his knees, putting his face in his hands.

"What's going on Naruto?" asked Akitsu, bending down and taking a knee next to him as well.

"My hallucinations are getting worse" replied Naruto between breaths. As Akitsu prepared to help him up, she noticed what appeared to be blood on the ground. Moving her gaze to where it was coming from, she turned to Naruto.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked, gaining a questioning look from Naruto.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, before looking toward his arm and his eyes widened. Directly where Orochimaru had used the kunai on his arm, while he had already healed, his sleeve was cleanly sliced, and dripping with blood. Leaping up and looking around, Naruto took Akitsu's arm and practically dragged her from the alley.

"They aren't hallucinations" he said. "He's here, he followed me here. I don't know how, but he followed me."

"Is this the same person you saw in the arboretum?" asked Akitsu, looking around wearily. Whoever was doing this was gravely disturbing her Ashikabi, and she wouldn't allow it to continue if she could help it.

"Yes" replied Naruto. "Orochimaru. One of the three greatest Ninja to ever come from our village. He's also a total freak and Psychopath."

"But why is he after you?" asked Akitsu as the two sat back down at the café.

"He wanted a friend of mine to join him" replied Naruto. "As it happens, I was sent on the mission to bring him back to the village. In our battle, I inadvertently caused his death."

"So you think he wants revenge?" asked Akitsu.

"Yes" replied Naruto after a moment of silence. "But I can't understand how he followed me here."

"But you can beat him" said Akitsu. "You have more power than anything I've ever seen."

"I don't know if that's enough though" replied Naruto. "I may have the raw power, but I don't have the skill, which he does. I actually don't know if I can beat him." Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Akitsu.

"You always have me" she replied. "I will fight by your side until I can no longer draw breath." Before Naruto could say anything, Akitsu drew closer and their lips met in a kiss, causing her luminescent blue wings to show for a moment. As the kiss ended, the two locked eyes for a moment, before Naruto smiled.

"Thank you Akitsu" said Naruto. "You don't know what that means to me."

Hearing a throat clearing next to them, the two saw Amaya standing next to them, with Sora standing behind. "We should go prepare for the breakout" she said. "Let's head back to the hotel."

"Right" said Naruto, standing, holding out his hand to pull Akitsu up. Leaving money at the table, the group began walking casually down the street in the direction of their hotel. Falling behind a bit, Akitsu began talking to Amaya.

"A bit jealous, are we?" she asked, and the Storm Sekirei merely turned away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" replied Amaya.

"Don't give me that" replied Akitsu, pressing the conversation on. "I saw the look you were giving us when Naruto and I kissed."

"You're delusional" said Amaya, blushing furiously, trying to hide it by turning her head away.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Sora, falling back to get in on the conversation.

"Amaya is reacting to Naruto" said Akitsu, matter-of-factly, causing Amaya to turn and glare daggers at the Ice Sekirei, though her blush was still present.

"Awe" said Sora. "That's so cute. Your true Ashikabi rescued you from your forced servitude."

"I am not reacting" whispered Amaya, and the two noticed a raincloud begin forming over her head. "I've already emerged, remember?" Akitsu and Sora, saw the lightning arching across the small cloud floating only feet above Amaya's head, but appeared unfazed.

"Yes, and you were terminated" replied Akitsu.

"It only makes sense that you should be able to 're-emerge" continued Sora. Amaya just sighed.

"Can we drop the subject, please?" she pleaded.

"Alright" shrugged Akitsu, before speeding up to catch Naruto, who had gotten much farther ahead than they had realized. "But sooner or later, you are going to feel the absolute need to emerge. And when you do, I'm going to be there with a camera."

"I want copies of those photos" shouted Sora as she picked up her pace as well.

"Not funny guys!" yelled Amaya, as she began running as well.

Chapter end

Not the longest chapter, I know, but at least I wrote one.

Next chapter will have the breakout of Uzume's Ashikabi, Chiho, as well as the debut of Akitsu's norito.

Peace to all my Fans


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone, sorry, I had planned to put out about three or four story updates all at once, but I could only work on one for now, as my computer is shot. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sekirei

"Is everybody ready?" asked the blond, clad in borrowed garb of Homura, all black and blowing slightly in the breeze, the black face-mask concealing his face, including the most important portion that included his whisker marks. That was important, as they were his most identifying characteristics.

"We are, Naruto," replied Akitsu, her face obscured by a porcelain mask, designed to be a replica of Haku's. The only real difference was that rather than the mist symbol etched into the top, the Sekirei crest was imprinted there instead. Unlike the symbol that had been a mark of shame on her forehead, the symbol on the forehead of her mask was a symbol of pride for the ice Sekirei.

"Let's hurry up and get Chiho out of there," said Uzume, stepping forward. The white battle-garb she wore flared out in all directions, blowing slightly in the breeze. The hood of the outfit covered her head, shadowing the top portion of her face.

"Right," said Naruto, looking down from the roof of the building neighboring the Hospital, run by Higa Izumi. "Sora, you and Uzume will lead me to Chiho, and I will heal her. Amaya and Akitsu, you two will provide a distraction outside. As an added advantage, Akitsu, it's time to use your Norito." The ice Sekirei and storm Sekirei nodded, while Sora gave a quiet reply and Uzume continued staring intently at the room she knew to be her Ashikabi's. Even though she refused to answer, the other four present all knew she was listening closely.

"Good," claimed Naruto, turning to Amaya. "Amaya, can we get a bit of cover please?" The sekirei blushed, but nodded, throwing her hands out. From them, a heavy mist began flowing forth, creating a screen of fog that descended upon the Hospital, making visibility drop to near zero. Taking out an exploding tag, Naruto attached it to a kunai, throwing it down into the parking lot, detonating it, blowing up a car with the explosion.

Putting his keen hearing to good use, Naruto began to make out voices in the parking lot. Based on the chakra signatures, he could feel two Sekirei, as well as one human, who he guessed was not their Ashikabi, based on the fact that there was no similarities in their chakras, formed from the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi.

"Both of you find out what is going on, now," he ordered. "Higa wants whoever is responsible caught and brought to him."

"Yes sir," replied the Sekirei, as one.

"That's Kakizaki, Higa's right-hand man," said Sora.

"Yeah, but I can't tell who the Sekirei with him are," replied Uzume. "But just keep concealed and you should be fine."

"Right, one last thing," said Naruto, before wrapping his hand around Akitsu's waist, before pulling his mask down, while she pulled her's off. Akitsu could feel the heat rise in her body as Naruto pulled in closer and their lips met in a kiss. Akitsu's Sekirei mark glowed brightly before her luminescent wings flashed and expanded behind her.

As the two parted and her wings died down, they replaced their masks before Sora, Uzume, and Naruto leapt down and raced into the building, unseen by the Sekirei on ground level.

Up on the roof, Akitsu's power continued to rise, and snow began to fall around her. Amaya even took a step back from her. Opening her eyes, which were glowing a pale blue, Akitsu crossed her hands over her chest, hands open with palms facing out.

"By the Icy Winds of my Contract, My Ashikabi's enemies will be forever frozen," shouted Akitsu, throwing her arms forward, interlacing her fingers. "TUNDRA FREEZE!"

Amaya was nearly blown back by the blast of cold air that flew from the sleeves of Akitsu's clothing, which whipped wildly in the gust. Slowly at first, but picking up intense speed, everything before Akitsu began to ice over, from the roof they were standing on, to the ground below, to even the walls and windows of the cars and hospital, began to ice over with a thick layer of the slick, frozen water. The mist even condensed, turning into a frozen rain, which began pouring down on the two Sekirei trapped within, producing a thin sheet of ice wherever they hit, even beginning to freeze the Sekireis solid. The only thing that saved Kakizaki was his quick thinking and jumping into a car, flipping the heat on full blast. Pulling out his phone, the black-haired man adjusted his glasses and fixed his mussed up suit as he dialed his boss.

"What the hell is going on out there?" asked the man, over the phone, though his voice remained perfectly calm.

"I think we're being assaulted," said Kakizaki. "But we can't see out assailants, so all we have to go on is that one of them seems to use ice as their main form of attack."

"Could it be West, or maybe South?" asked Higa.

"I don't think so," replied Kakizaki. "It could be MBI making a move."

"No, it wouldn't be MBI. Minaka is too good of a sport to interfere in his own game. Still, see what you can find out," said Higa.

"Yes sir," replied Kakizaki, before he heard the other end of the line hang up. Assuming the onslaught was over, Kakizaki tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, completely frozen shut from the outside. Slamming his weight into it a couple times, it finally gave way, and the man stepped out, observing the damage. While it still lingered, the mist had greatly lessened, increasing visibility to somewhere around fifteen to twenty feet. Looking off to the side, he could make out the frozen forms of the two Sekirei, but only barely. They were quivering a bit, but were otherwise immobile due to the ice that had formed around them.

'Damn, Akitsu, I didn't think you were this strong." Kakizaki's attention was diverted from his helpless helpers by the new voice.

"Well, technically, I am a single number," replied another voice. It didn't take long for the voices to reveal themselves in the form of two Sekirei, appearing through the mist.

"Really?" asked Amaya, she and Akitsu walking through the icy fog to survey the damage Akitsu had caused. After her attack had ended, they had observed that for about a mile-radius outside ground zero, a light snow had begun falling across the area, impressing the Weather Sekirei, before they dropped down to the ground below. "Which one?"

"Number 7," was her reply, getting wide eyes from Kakizaki. He didn't like this. Not only were they dealing with a single number, but a very powerful one at that. Turning, he tried to run inside where his boss was waiting, to tell him of the news. However, he never accounted for the sheet of ice covering the ground, causing him to slip.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kakizaki gasped at how cold he was becoming. And it wasn't coming from the icy parking lot he had landed on.

Inside the building, Naruto and his group made their way easily through the many corridors. Sora and Uzume both knew the building quite well, and expertly made their way to through without hitting one member of security. All three of them gasped suddenly, beginning to shiver and rub their arms as the temperature in the building dropped drastically, allowing their breath to show.

"There's our distraction, ladies," announced Naruto, picking up his pace, as did the two Sekirei. "Let's not waste it."

"Right," said both, both turning a corner, darting past several rooms, dodging the odd doctor that exited, who all became scared out of their wits. Skidding to a halt outside a room, Uzume hesitantly took the handle, before flinging it open. Startled, the doctor and nurse staggered backwards, allowing the three to observe the young girl in bed. She had very light-brown hair, and brown eyes. The rest of her was covered mainly by the blanket on her hospital bed.

"Uzume?" she said, as though confused, though given the circumstances, Naruto couldn't blame her.

"It's alright Chiho," replied the Veiled Sekirei, excitement evident in her voice. "These are my friends. They came to help you."

"Help me?" the girl asked. "Help me how?" It was at this time that the two medical professionals regained their wits, and began to try and push the trio out of the room.

"I'm sorry, but none of you can be here right now," said the doctor, his nurse nodding. "You'll have to comeback during visiting hours-ahhhhhh!" Both doctor and nurse yelled as Sora used her Tonfa to throw them both out the door, crashing them into a wall.

"Hello Chiho," said Naruto, smiling beneath his mask. "Uzume tells me that you're sick. I'm going to make you better. Is that alright?" The young girl's eyes widened in shock. Turning to her Sekirei, she tried to ask so many questions, but Uzume just brought her finger to the young girls lips, before taking her hand.

"It's alright, Chiho. I trust him. I know he can make you better, and then you can come stay with me." Looking into the eyes of her Sekirei, she realized that Uzume truly believed the boy before her could make her healthy again. Slowly, she nodded, and Naruto closed his eyes, before opening them again at the sound of an alarm going off in the building.

"Shit, not much time left," he said. "Sora, guard the door. Chiho, I need you to close your eyes and relax, ok?" The girl nodded and did as she was told, as Sora shut the door and jammed it, before taking up a position to guard against possible intruders.

Holding out his hand, which began to glow with the same red power he had used on the bird, he touched two fingers to Chiho's forehead, allowing the power to flow over the girl. Uzume squeezed her Ashikabi's hand tighter as Chiho began breathing heavily and sweating profusely, her illness purging itself all at once. The girl trembled a bit, and her other hand flew up and gripped Uzume's, while Uzume raised her other hand and took the other three into her grip. Suddenly, Chiho shot up in bed, her eyes rolling up into the back of her head as she gasped, before she let out a slow breath, her breathing returning to normal and her eyes returning to normal. Turning to Uzume, she removed the blanket, before tentatively placing one foot on the floor, and then the other. Pushing herself into a standing position, she smiled happily, before taking a shaky step forward. She nearly fell, and would have, had Uzume's outfit not shot out and helped the girl stand straight.

"It may take a bit to recover your strength," said Naruto. "You haven't walked for a very long time. But in time, you will get the strength in your legs back." The girl nodded, before every turned their attention to a knock at the window. Standing on a tower of ice was Akitsu, with Amaya floating on the wind next to her.

"That's out cue," said Naruto, throwing open the windows, which her almost frosted shut. Not a moment too soon, he realized, as outside the door, they could hear several people trying to enter the room. Outside, Uzume had taken hold of Chiho, and turned her outfit into a makeshift parachute, floating along with Amaya.

Just as Sora and Naruto jumped out the window, the door burst open, and a flood of armed security entered, before running to the window and opening fire on the escaping group, who had already crossed over to the neighboring building. While most of the shots were complete misses, Naruto managed with his enhanced sight to see a bullet flying at them, which was going to converge paths with Chiho and Uzume. As he was about to put himself into the path of the bullet, Amaya beat him to it, knocking the two to the roof, as the bullet pierced her right breast and lodged itself somewhere inside her body.

"Amaya!" shouted Naruto, rushing over to the fallen Sekirei, who was bleeding profusely.

"It looks…like I'm useful after all" said the Weather Sekirei weakly, a bit of blood dripping from her mouth.

"Damn it, don't talk to me like you're dying," said Naruto, growing his claws to an incredibly long length, before plunging them into the girl's bullet wound, causing her to cry out in pain as he gripped and extracted the bullet, before beginning to heal her. "How the hell did you manage to get them out of the way of something moving as fast as a bullet?"

"I could…feel…the distortions in…the air pressure," she replied, her speech broken from not only pain, but from the warm feeling building inside her, the intensity growing almost unbearable. I saw you start to move, but I wasn't going to let you take a bullet if I could help it."

"You know I wouldn't have wanted you to do that," said Naruto, finishing his work. "I can heal, I would have been just fine. But you did it anyway. Why?"

"I did it because…I wouldn't be able to bear seeing you hurt…even if you can heal. I never want you to be in pain if I can help it…because…you are…my Ashikabi." No sooner had she made the proclamation, she reached up and grabbed his face, placing a hand on each cheek, before pulling his mask down and pulling him forward until their lips met. The wind instantly began to pick up, and every form of precipitation from rain to sleet to snow to hail began falling around them, and the air began crackling with electricity. On the back of her neck, Amaya's Sekirei symbol appeared, as a pair of golden-brown luminescent wings flared from the glowing mark. As quickly as it all happened, it all stopped, and the two could do nothing but stare at each other.

Naruto quickly shook off the shock, before holding out his hand, which his second Sekirei accepted, a contented smile gracing her face.

"Uzume, where exactly are we heading?" asked Naruto, snapping the brown-haired Sekirei out of her thoughts.

"Oh, right," she said, grabbing hold of Chiho and putting her on her back. "Everyone can follow me."

"GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH," screamed a rather well-endowed red-head, staring at the satellite feed on the many computer screens in the dark room. "Damn it! Now I have two rivals to compete with for him!" Brining up the files on Akitsu and Amaya from MBI's database, she adjusted her glassed. "But thank the Gods for Uzume. That's right…bring him right to me." The girl smirked and pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, which reflected the light from the many computers, giving her a very creepy look as she giggle perversely.

"_Ugh, just the tiny bits of DNA on Uzume has caused a reaction in me,"_ she thought. _"I can only imagine what it'll be like when he's here."_

"Hey Miya, we're home!" shouted Uzume, rushing through the door of Izumo Inn.

"Huh? What do you mean by we?" asked a rather serine voice, before a purple-haired woman stepped out, holding a broom. Naruto couldn't make much out when it came to her body type, as she wore the traditional attire of a miko, consisting of a purple hakama, a white haori with a sash-like belt wooden sandals and a white ribbon to partially hold her hair in place. Her hair was waist length with hime-style bangs. The only thing he could really see of her body was her brown eyes and flawless skin.

"Oh my," she said, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "Uzume, who are all of these?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Miya," said Uzume rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. These four helped me out of a little jam my Ashikabi and I got into."

"Oh, so am I to assume this pretty young girl in the hospital gown is your Ashikabi?" asked Miya, her expression softening and her words becoming a bit more relieved.

"Yes," said Uzume. "She'll need to stay with me for a while. And just as a precaution, I think these four should stay here for now as well. It's hard to explain, but for now I'll just say that they may have people coming after them, and I know for certain this place is safe." Naruto and the three other Sekirei all looked at each other, not expecting Uzume to attempt to gain them residence.

"Well, you know it was my late-husband's policy to never turn away anyone in need," said Miya. "And we of course have plenty of rooms to stay in. I assume he is their Ashikabi?"

"Just theirs" said Sora, indicating Akitsu and Amaya with her tonfa. "I haven't found my true Ashikabi yet." Miya just smiled, before everyone but Naruto backed away at the purple aura emanating from her, and the strange Hannya mask appeared behind her from nowhere.

"Well, as long as every follows my rules, we won't have any problems," she said, and though she didn't show it, she was a bit annoyed and curious that her demonic visage had no effect on the blond boy. She didn't show it however, and merely continued her terrifying instructional on the rules of her house. "I don't mind you two sharing a room with your Ashikabi, but I will not tolerate any inappropriate behavior, and I do not allow violence and fighting here. If you break my rules, you will be thrown out on the street, is that understood?"

"Yes Miss Landlady" was the reply of the scared Sekirei and Chiho, and Naruto just nodded his head eagerly, glad to be out of the Hotel they had been staying at.

"Good. If you'd like to go and get your things, you can move in whenever you'd like. I'll have rooms prepared for you," said Miya, the Hannya mask and her aura vanishing as though never there.

"Please, let me go get our things, Naruto," said Amaya, bowing to her new Ashikabi, before racing outside before anyone could protest. Leaping into the air, she sent a blast of wind out, making her fly faster than ever before. It appeared being winged by her true Ashikabi had increased her control exponentially. Before going back inside, they heard a light, airy tune being hummed, before a girl with light-brown hair and some interesting clothing walked up the path to the door.

"Landlady, I finished the shopping," she announced. "I think I got everything you asked for."

"Hey, you're that Sekirei…" said Naruto, thinking back to the night before. "The one who defeated the scythe-wielder."

"Huh?" said the girl, as if not comprehending his words, before something seemed to click and her eyes lit up.

"Oh, her? Yeah, she was a big meanie," said the Sekirei. "But I managed to beat her for Minato."

"So if you're here, I take it that so is your Ashikabi, and the little girl?" said Akitsu, getting a nod from the brown-haired girl.

"Hmmm, interesting," said Naruto. "Well, we'll have to see if I can't speak with this, Minato. He could be a great ally…" He trailed off as he looked up at the sky, causing everyone to look at his oddly.

"What's the matter, Naruto?" asked Akitsu, looking around.

"I just feel like I'm being watched…" he replied, stretching out with his senses. Inside, he could feel several chakra signatures. He could immediately feel that of Homura for some reason, and who he guessed was Minato, doing something with the little Sekirei. But there was also another strange signature that could be felt, somewhere upstairs.

"Miya, could you tell me how many people are living here besides those of us outside?" asked Naruto, not noticing her tense a bit, before offering him a smile.

"Well, let me see…I believe only three others," she said. "Only Minato, Kusano, and Kagari."

"Uh huh…" said Naruto, walking toward the door. "I'm going to take a look around, if that's alright with you." Miya just continued smiling, before nodding.

"Just be careful," said the brown-haired Sekirei, Musubi. "Kusano saw a ghost last night!"

"A ghost, huh?" said Naruto under his breath. "I think I should go meet them." Traveling up the stairs, he felt out where the strange chakra-source was, only to hit a dead end. Feeling the wall, he found a slight crack where one part of the wall met the corner, and pushed, causing it to swing open almost like a revolving door. He was unprepared for this, and it caused him to stumble forward, landing on top of a red-haired girl.

"THANK YOU UZUME!" she shouted, before giggling perversely. "Hello there," she continued. I'm Sekirei #2, Matsu…and you're…my Ashikabi." Before he could comprehend her proclamation, she locked lips with him.

Chapter end.

Hey guys, I'll be updating multiple stories at once now, but my computer is shot, so I can't this time. I hope you at least enjoyed this one.

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone, I was a bit rushed with the last chapter. This one is a tad short as well, but I hope it clears up the end of last chapter a bit. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sekirei.

Walking alone, leaping across rooftops, a lone figure crossed the city-scape with ease, never stopping her leisurely pace. She wore a tight, black leather top, a miniskirt and stockings, over the shoulders wearing a grey haori with the Sekirei Crest printed on it. At her hip was a nodachi blade. She had long light grey hair tied in a ponytail and grey narrow eyes. This was Karasuba, three time member of MBI's Sekirei disciplinary squad, the Black Sekirei, and MBI's Dog.

As she leapt across the alley to another building, motion entered her peripheral vision, and she whipped her blade from its sheath faster than the average eye could see, deflecting three metal projectiles, which fell to the roof with a clatter of sound.

"So?" she said casually, looking in the direction they had come from, seeing only a vague silhouette of a figure, leaning against the roof access door of the building. "I don't know who you are, but I'll give you this. You're either very brave, or very stupid." As she said this, she pointed her blade at the figure, a wicked grin never leaving her face. At first she got no reaction from the person, but a moment or two later she frowned slightly as they began to quiver a bit. Not from fear however, but laughter. This person was chuckling.

"So, brave or stupid? Is that all you could attribute to me?" said the figure, obviously a male, though the voice was cold and slippery, causing a chill to run up even Karasuba's spine. "Honestly, if the people in this world weren't so pathetic, I'd actually be insulted. But I suppose I can't blame you. Having nobody to challenge your strength…you've become jaded, haven't you?" Karasuba growled from annoyance and a shred of excitement. Not only had this man had the arrogance to attack her, to imply that he was as strong, if not stronger than her, but he had hit the proverbial nail on the head. It was true. She had nobody to challenge her anymore. But she was excited at the prospect of the new challenge this man could possibly present.

"Well well…Normally the killing of humans is frowned upon," she said. "However, in your case I think an exception can be made." Without a second thought, she rushed in, her body seemingly fazing out of existence from her sheer speed. She was already anticipating the sound of the dripping blood and body hitting the roof before her, but all that came was a metallic sound, of metal striking metal. Karasuba's eyes widened at seeing the man holding some sort of pointed blade, identical to the projectiles from moments before, and using it to block the entire force of her stroke, something very few Sekirei had even been capable of doing. She caught a glimpse of the pale, white skin of his hand, and a dangerous look in his eerie yellow eyes that shone through even the darkness. It was as if those slits that made up his pupils were looking through her.

"Too slow!" the man shouted, shooting his tongue from his mouth, which extended and wrapped around her arms and upper body, hoisting her high into the air, before slamming her head first into the roof of the building. The force of the attack actually caused the concrete roofing to break apart, collapsing outward, as though a great blade had lopped off the entire portion of the building, and it was sliding down and off into the ally below. Fortunately, Karasuba had a far greater amount of durability than most Sekirei, but it didn't lessen the pain of having a few hundred pounds sandwich her between them and the cold ground. Managing the strength to crawl from the rubble, she struggled to regain her footing.

"I must say, I am very disappointed. I thought that perhaps a Sekirei such as yourself would be at least a bit more interesting. Oh well." Karasuba instantly was on guard, the voice seemingly coming from all directions. Suddenly, from the shadows, dozens of snakes lashed out, snatching her blade away, pulling it toward her opponent, who took it for his own. Karasuba once more looked shocked as the snakes crawled their way into the man's sleeves. As he came forward from the shadows, Karasuba got her first good look at him.

He appeared to be extremely pale-skinned, with waist-length black hair. He had amber eyes with slits in his pupils and purple markings around his eyes, giving his face a snake-like appearance. He wore plain grey garb, with black pants and a thick purple rope belt tied in a large knot behind his back and blue tomoe-shaped earrings. He was also wearing a black polo neck under it. As he stepped from the shadows, he held her nodachi up to the light to get a good look at it, examining it thoroughly.

"Hmm…" he muttered. "A nodachi? Not exactly my style, but why not? I think I'll keep it…call it a spoil of war. Perhaps you can get stronger and reclaim it, hmhmhmhmhm." He chuckled. "However, I highly doubt it."

Angered at this man for making a mockery of her, Karasuba dashed forward, overlooking her pain for a moment to reclaim her property. But as she threw a punch at the man's face, he suddenly faded from existence, her fist hitting nothing but an afterimage. With her failed assault, her pain returned. However, it was increased ten-fold as without warning, her entire body seemed to be assaulted by her own blade, all at once. It only lasted a moment, but when finished, there was barely an inch of flesh on her body that wasn't bloody or lacerated. Collapsing on the ground, she saw the man once more, walking away from her. As her vision faded in and out, she watched him open his mouth and insert her blade, actually managing to ingest the nodachi in its entirety. And then all was black.

Naruto awoke with a start. He knew that what had transpired was no dream. He didn't know how or why he saw it, but it was too vividly real to be any sort of dream or hallucination. Orochimaru had absolutely beaten that blade-wielding Sekirei, though surprisingly enough didn't kill her. Feeling an extra weight than normal, he looked down at his body, seeing Akitsu clinging to one of his arms, while Amaya held the other. Matsu, his third Sekirei lay on his chest, sleeping for some reason with her glasses on, though he did admit it was kind of cute. Thinking back to yesterday, he recalled his first meeting his red-headed Sekirei.

_Flashback_

_"Hmmm, interesting," said Naruto. "Well, we'll have to see if I can't speak with this, Minato. He could be a great ally…" He trailed off as he looked up at the sky, causing everyone to look at his oddly._

_"What's the matter, Naruto?" asked Akitsu, looking around._

_"I just feel like I'm being watched…" he replied, stretching out with his senses. Inside, he could feel several chakra signatures. He could immediately feel that of Homura for some reason, and who he guessed was Minato, doing something with the little Sekirei. But there was also another strange signature that could be felt, somewhere upstairs._

_"Miya, could you tell me how many people are living here besides those of us outside?" asked Naruto, not noticing her tense a bit, before offering him a smile._

_"Well, let me see…I believe only three others," she said. "Only Minato, Kusano, and Kagari."_

_"Uh huh…" said Naruto, walking toward the door. "I'm going to take a look around, if that's alright with you." Miya just continued smiling, before nodding._

_"Just be careful," said the brown-haired Sekirei, Musubi. "Kusano saw a ghost last night!"_

_"A ghost, huh?" said Naruto under his breath. "I think I should go meet them." Traveling up the stairs, he felt out where the strange chakra source was, only to hit a dead end. Feeling the wall, he found a slight crack where one part of the wall met the corner, and pushed, causing it to swing open almost like a revolving door. He was unprepared for this, and it caused him to stumble forward, landing on top of a red-haired girl._

_"THANK YOU UZUME!" she shouted, before giggling perversely. "Hello there," she continued. "I'm Sekirei #2, Matsu…and you're…my Ashikabi." Before he could comprehend her proclamation, she locked lips with him. One would think that by this time, Naruto would be used to things like this, especially having winged his second Sekirei just earlier that day. However, they would be wrong. _

_Feeling the intense sensations welling up inside her body, Matsu deepened the kiss, her Sekirei symbol glowing brightly as her luminescent wings of light sprouted from it. Never actually having this reaction from either Amaya or Akitsu, Naruto could think of nothing else to do but return the gesture. Even as her wings faded away, Matsu refused to stop the kiss, flipping her legs up and wrapping them around her new Ashikabi, while at the same time, wrapping her arms around his neck. Without knowing why, Naruto felt his hand start to move down her body, eliciting moans of approval from Matsu._

_As soon as that moan was released, something inside Naruto was as well. Subconsciously drawing on the well of demon chakra that had once belonged to the former Kyuubi, Naruto felt his every sense heightened to levels beyond super-human. He wouldn't find out until later that Matsu, being the most perverted of the Sekirei, found herself far more aroused at the winging that either of Naruto's previous two Sekirei, and that increased arousal had awakened a far more primitive side of Naruto. Due to new demon status, as well as being part animal, he was also influenced by the same instincts as animals, including the most prominent instinct at the time, which was to mate with the busty female beneath him. Breaking the kiss with the red-head, he began leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, causing her to shiver from the sensations. _

_Just as he was about to slide his fingers up into her dress, already readying his claws to merely slice off the panties beneath, a sound was heard that managed to break him out of his lust-filled stupor. He couldn't identify it until he felt the cold tip of a blade tickling the back of his neck. Normally, knowing he could just heal from whatever damage was caused, he would have merely ignored the blade. However, with the snap back to reality, he also realized just what he had been doing, and held his hands over his head as though he were being arrested._

_Snapping out of her stupor as well, Matsu took a glance behind Naruto, only to see the form of her landlady holding her blade, ready to intervene if they even attempted to break her house rules. She unwrapped her legs from her Ashikabi and began to wriggle away, scared shitless of the gigantic hannya mask appearing behind Miya, and the purple aura she was emitting, that could probably frighten death itself._

"_I knew something was going on when you asked how many people lived here...however, I didn't think that you'd be breaking my rules already," she said. "Because you gave aid to Uzume and her Ashikabi, I will let you off with a warning this one time." Then she smiled a cheerful smile, which with her mask and aura, only made her seem more frightening. "If it continues to happen, I may have to throw you BOTH out on the street." Matsu's eyes widened and she bowed all the way down to the floor._

"_Oh PLEASE Miss Miya," she begged. "It won't happen again, I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" Miya placed her sword back in its sheath, as her aura and mask vanished._

"_Alright," she said. "You're forgiven." Matsu breathed a sigh of relief, though tried to keep it quiet. "However, neither of you will get any dinner." At that proclamation, Matsu stiffened and anime tears began pouring from her eyes._

"_The terms are fair," said Naruto, not affected by the threat. He would find out later what a fool he had been in dismissing Miya's cooking._

_Flashback End_

"_Speaking of food, I smell breakfast, and it smells delicious!"_ thought Naruto, his stomach growling in anticipation. Trying to sit up, he found that with a girl on each arm, and one on his chest, doing so would be a most difficult task. Sighing, he strained to pull his hands together, managing to do so without waking the women surrounding him, and managed to make his most familiar hand seal, the cross-shape seal for the shadow clone jutsu. Creating a clone, he replaced himself with it, so as not to wake the sleeping beauties around him, and headed down the stairs.

Walking into the kitchen, he found that Breakfast wasn't quite finished yet, but oddly enough, Chiho was in the kitchen, being instructed in cooking, it seemed, by Miya.

"Well, it seems that someone is feeling better," he said, making his presence known. Turning toward him, Chiho let out a surprised yelp.

"Master Naruto," she said, getting a raised eyebrow from Naruto for the 'Master' comment. "I didn't know you were up. And I was going to bring you breakfast too..." Although the girl seemed obviously distressed over the fact, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, it's fine," he announced, holding up his hands in front of him. "But what's with this 'Master' stuff? You're not secretly a Sekirei, are you?" While the last part was said as a joke, Chiho still blushed something furious, bowing deeply before Naruto.

"Master Naruto, you have done more for me than you could ever imagine," she said. "I owe you my life, and I will not let this debt go unpaid." The determination with which she said it made Naruto falter for a bit, while Miya just put her hand over her mouth and giggled a bit.

"Listen, Chiho, what I did was just what I thought was right. You don't owe me anything," said Naruto.

"Yes I do," said Chiho, finally standing. "You have given me my life back, and Uzume's as well. We are both forever in your debt."

Naruto gulped, not sure how to take this. Not even Akitsu was this fanatic about him, and she was his Sekirei. He couldn't have a girl, and one around the same age as him for that matter, acting like a servant.

"Please," said Chiho, some tears beginning to form in her eyes, melting Naruto's resistance. "You must let me repay you for all that you've done."

"Well..." said Naruto, losing the battle and knowing full well it was happening. "I guess if you really want to, I can't stop you. But nothing more than simple chores, ok? Hanging around me, you're liable to get hurt, and I don't want that on my conscience, alright?" The girl eagerly nodded before running, slightly awkwardly, as she was still unused to the feeling, out of the room, leaving Naruto alone with the landlady.

"Well, it appears my help with breakfast has up and left," said Miya jokingly, giggling at the younger girl's antics and devotion to her savior.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "I hope you don't mind me asking this, Miss Miya..." The purple-haired woman's expression still held a bit of mirth, but had turned a tad more serious.

"Yes?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering..." continued Naruto, not quite sure of how to put everything into words. "You seem to know quite a bit about Sekirei and Ashikabi, even though this whole thing is supposed to be some big secret...I was just wondering how you know so much about the Sekirei plan. Why Matsu was in a secret room in your home. Why Chiho, Minato, you and I are the only non-sekireis living here."

Miya almost couldn't contain her laughter, knowing what was wrong with his last statement. She almost wanted to ask why he referred to himself as a non-sekirei, rather than just a human, but he perhaps thought that being an Ashikabi indeed did make him different than a human, so she didn't push it.

"My Husband," she said, a far-away look in her eye. "Before his death, he had worked for MBI, and was even a major part of the Sekirei plan, though he had no idea what it was to become. I know that if he were alive, he would never have allowed the Sekirei plan to exist as it is." Naruto nodded. While unable to meet the man, he already liked him from Miya's short explanation. He sounded like a man of character, and that was good enough for Naruto. It let him know that MBI wasn't some giant monster...just the president.

"That would explain a lot...and I'm sorry about his death." Miya just smiled.

"What is there for you to be sorry about? His death was not your doing, so you have nothing to apologize for," said Miya. "But I do thank you for your sympathy. But now it's my turn to ask you some questions. How is it that you believe that we're the only ones who aren't Sekirei?" Naruto just rubbed his head sheepishly. In a way, it reminded her of Uzume.

"Well, I'm actually not sure about you. I have this ability to sense the inner energy of others. I don't mean to offend, but something is off about yours. I can't tell if it's naturally like it is, or if perhaps you're hiding it...but if you are, it's your right to hide it. However, Sekirei and humans have different energies, which is how I can tell the difference. It's also how I managed to find Matsu's special accommodations," said Naruto.

"Hmm, I suppose that does make some sense..." she said, putting her finger to her chin, as though contemplating. "Oh well. For now, let's all go to breakfast. I know you already know most of the inhabitants of this place, but it wouldn't hurt for you to make a proper introduction. Oh, and why don't you tell Matsu to come down and eat with us too. Minato, Musubi, and Chiho haven't met her yet, so it might be nice for her to introduce herself as well." Naruto just smiled, before heading for the stairs, waving behind him.

"Sure," he said, cheerfully. "I'll go and get her now."

"You do that," she announced, her voice taking on that sickly sweet tone he was beginning to become accustomed to. "Just remember that I do not allow any form of inappropriate behavior here. I would hate to have to come and look for you only to find you in a...compromising situation again." To make her point, she slammed her cutting knife down, producing a loud slamming sound, but she frown a bit when she realized she still did not seem to have the same affect on him that she had on others. She began to wonder just why that was, and she was not exactly liking her choices of answers.

Chapter end.

Hey, tried to clear up a bit of what happened near the end of the last chapter, and oooh, suspense with Orochimaru on the loose. Wonder why Naruto's seeing him in his dreams? Keep reading along to find out.

Peace to all my fans

Fan of Fanfics


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone. Busy busy busy lately, but I managed to pull out this chapter for you. I was hit with a sudden burst of inspiration for this particular chapter. I graduate high school next week, then I'll have more time to work. Many chapters of other stories are almost done. I'm hoping to have them published within the next week as a sort of graduation present to myself. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Sekirei.

Walking up the stairs and down the hallway, Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the form of Kagari, wearing a simple button-down shirt and black pants, coming from the other direction. The both of them made eye contact for a moment before passing. Naruto stopped at his door before turning to see Kagari about to hit the stairs he had just come from.

"Thanks for the outfit," he announced, and visibly saw the white-haired young man stiffen, before relaxing.

"I don't know what you mean," he replied with a smile, which Naruto returned.

"Whatever you say," he said. "I'm new around here, but don't think I'm stupid. I guess though if you want to keep your identity a secret, it's your right, so I won't go blabbing who you are, Homura." The white-haired Sekirei just chuckled, before heading down the stairs. Naruto watched him disappear before remembering the business he was attending to. Namely, waking up his own Sekirei.

Entering the room, he smiled at the sight of the girls all sleeping peacefully...well, except for Matsu, who seemed to have a bad case of wandering hands. Shaking his head, he dispelled his clone, causing Matsu to fall to from her position on his chest and the two girls clinging to his arms to roll inward and hit their heads with Matsu, making all three wake up.

"Rise and shine ladies," he announced, trying to suppress a bit of laughter as he leaned over them, lightly kissing Akitsu and Amaya on the cheek, and Matsu on the forehead. "Miya has breakfast ready, so we should head down now." Matsu's stomach growled at the mention of food, having no dinner the night before. "That includes you Matsu. Miya wants you to introduce yourself too." The red-head quirked an eyebrow behind her glasses, but nodded. Helping the three up, they all made the trip down the stairs, heading into the dining area to find the table already prepared. Looking around, Naruto saw Homura, still masquerading as Kagari, Miya, Chiho and Uzume, the later of who was leaning on the shoulder of the former, a content look in her eyes. Also at the table was Musubi and her Ashikabi, Minato, Sora, and the littlest Sekirei, the young girl from the forest, he remembered Musubi calling Kusano.

"Hello everyone," said Naruto, smiling. Minato seemed surprised to see him, but the others greeted him and his Sekirei cordially. "Everything looks great Miya." The purple-haired woman just giggled behind her hands.

"Well, I suppose anything would look good after missing your dinner," she said, and Naruto chuckled at her poor attempt to hide her vanity with false modesty.

"You're that guy..." Naruto's attention was once more turned to Minato, who was just staring at him. "You're the one who helped us find Kusano the other day."

"As a matter of fact, I am," replied Naruto. "Since Musubi apparently hasn't told you, myself and these beautiful ladies will be staying here for a while." Akitsu, Amaya, Sora and even Matsu blushed at his compliment, earning another quiet giggle from Miya, who found the situation rather cute. Kusano finally seemed to recognize him from before and gave the blonde a big smile, which he returned. "Ok, introduction time. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm not exactly from around these parts, so don't ask. And these three are my Sekirei.

"I am Sekirei #7, Akitsu," said the woman, somewhat dreamily. "I'm an Ice-type Sekirei." Amaya stepped forward next.

"Hi there," she said, quite cheerfully, giving a bright smile. "I'm Sekirei #31, Amaya, and I have power over the weather."

"Sekirei #59, Sora," said the young woman from her seat. "I'm a Weapon-type Sekirei, and use a pair of Tonfa, but I currently haven't reacted to an Ashikabi." Finally, Matsu took a step forward to give her announcement.

"And I'm Sekirei #2, Matsu," said the red-head, and Kusano instantly shivered and went to hide behind Minato.

"Huh, what is it Ku?" he asked, concerned for his tiny Sekirei.

"It's the ghost," was her meek reply, causing everyone to stair at Matsu, who rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry about that..." she said. "I didn't mean to scare you." Kusano seemed to calm down a bit, but still was weary of the red-head. "Anyway," continued Matsu, "I'm a Brain-type Sekirei."

"Wait a minute...You just showed up, what, yesterday? How is it that Matsu managed to scare Kusano two nights ago?" asked Minato, looking at them confused.

"Matsu has actually been living here longer than you and Musubi," replied Uzume, getting a nod from Mia, who continued the explanation.

"Yes, Matsu is a much more...quiet tenant than most, never leaving her room unless she needs to," said the Land-lady.

"Well, that would explain why we haven't really seen her at all..." said Minato.

"Well, now that the introductions are done with," said Naruto, clapping his hands together and smiling broadly. Naruto was naturally a big eater, but having missed dinner, he was hungrier than usual. As he and the girls sat down and prepared to dig in, the ringing of a cell phone caused everyone to look to Minato, who answered, before his eyes widened and he turned toward Naruto.

"It's...for you?" he said shakily, not sure himself what was even going on. Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked between his Sekirei before accepting the phone and leaving the room to converse in peace. Leaning up against the railing of the stairs, he placed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked, not quite sure of what was happening.

"You're a very hard person to reach, you know," said the voice on the other end of the line, and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"That's because I have no cell phone, use fake ID's, and have no records whatsoever. So the question I need to ask is who is this and how do you even know I exist?" questioned the blonde shinobi. Unfortunately, he got a chuckle in return.

"If it wasn't for the fact that you've winged several Sekirei, and that we are speaking right now, I would assume you didn't," replied the voice of the mystery man. "In fact, it's been very aggravating having no idea who you are, especially for a man like me. Honestly, are you trying to ruin my 'I know everything' mystique?"

"I'll ask again, who is this," said Naruto, a bit more forcefully, as his eyes began to turn red and his whisker-marks deepened and became more defined.

"You honestly haven't figured it out yet? I would have figured a man who could slip around the radar, and avoid detection by the entirety of my forces, would have been smarter." Naruto growled dangerously. It shouldn't have even been possible for such a guttural sound to come from a human throat...then again, Naruto wasn't human anymore. "Alright, alright," replied the man. "My name is Minaka Hiroto, president of MBI, and game-master of the Sekirei plan." That caught Naruto's attention, and Minaka knew it.

"Anyway, as you can probably guess, I'm a very busy man, so I wish you good luck in my game...with what's coming, you'll need it." Naruto gripped the phone even tighter at that.

"Wait what do you-" He never got to finish the sentence as Minaka hung up on him. Snapping the phone closed, Naruto managed to compose himself enough to re-enter the dining area. He braced himself for the questions that he knew would come, and entered.

"So did he sound familiar?" Karasuba looked to her Ashikabi, feeling pathetic confined to a hospital bed, covered in bandages. Her Ashikabi, Natsuo, was a normal sized young gentleman with brown hair, wearing an elaborate suit with a white shirt underneath and a black tie.

"No," she said, the irritation evident in her voice. "I don't know who the mystery Ashikabi is, but he's not the one who attacked me."

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Positive," replied Karasuba, signaling it was the end of the conversation. Taking the hint, Natsuo just nodded, before exiting the room, leaving Karasuba to glare out the window, wondering if her assailant was even now taking a few practice swings with her sword. The very thought was infuriating. She was the Black Sekirei. Three time member of the disciplinary squad. And she was beaten by a human. Granted, a human with some sort of unknown power, but a human none the less.

Slowly, the many pills began to take their toll, and she found herself falling into an uneasy sleep, dreams of meeting her rival, Yume, in battle, now filled with images of the pale, black-haired man who had so easily taken her down. In her dream, she was fighting with Musubi, who had been possessed by Yume, when their battle was interrupted by a blonde-haired young man who went flying past the two battling Sekirei, catching Karasuba's attention, before he landed and back-flipped, just in time to dodge the blade of _her_ nodachi as it was stabbed into the ground by the pale man. Looking toward the blonde, his face shadowed by his bangs, her eyes widened as from behind his back, nine long, furry tails appeared and he gained a much more feral appearance. He began whipping through some very odd hand motions, before a large, demonic-looking figure appeared behind him, a dagger in its teeth. Reaching out his hand through the blonde, it shot forward _into _the pale man, ripping out a glowing, blue humanoid figure, before pulling a similar one from the blonde.

As the two fell over dead, the demonic being opened its mouth wide and swallowed the glowing-figures it ripped from the two people. Both Karasuba and Yume actually backed away as it turned its attention to them. It grew larger and larger, opening its mouth wide before with lightning speed, it's massive jaws closed around them.

Karasuba's eyes shot open, snapping awake from her nightmare. She wasn't sure what she had dreamed about, but she had actually felt a twinge of fear. She covered her eyes with her hand, grimacing at the pain a bit, before a voice caught her attention.

"Someone have a bad dream?" came the voice of fellow disciplinary squad member, Sekirei #105, Benitsubasa, the 'Red Sekirei.' The tone was highly irritating to the older Sekirei, as it was said quite mockingly. She knew that if given the chance, the girl would gladly do whatever was in her power to terminate her. She was her own personal...what was it? That cartoon character that pathetically tried and failed constantly to overthrow his boss, while being a suck-up to her face. What was it called? Her eyes lit up and she smiled a bit as she remembered.

"Thank you for that brilliant observation, Starscream," she said sarcastically, causing the pink-haired girl to face-plant, which in turn caused her bandage-wrapped partner...her other bandage-wrapped partner, Haihane, to laugh, finding the entire exchange quite humorous, easily getting the joke. Kakasuba looked over her two teammates.

She wore a kimono-like shirt with one sleeve missing, and pink hair in a side ponytail with two daisy clips. She had small breasts that haven't grown by a single millimeter and was an A cup, a source of great embarrassment, and something Karasuba loved to tease her about. She had the appearance of a cheerful, younger teenager though her appearance didn't reflect her personality as she was incredibly short-tempered, unlike Haihane who was almost always calm and had a lot of fun teasing Benitsubasa.

Haihane herself was Sekirei #104, and was known as the Blue Sekirei. She wore a tattered kimono over her bandaged body, had disheveled grey hair and narrow eyes; giving her a wicked, almost Grim Reaper-like appearance. Even though she seemed dark and mildly gothic, her personality, surprisingly, was pretty upbeat by contrast. Unlike her partner Benitsubasa, Haihane was a cheerful and calmer character who enjoyed teasing the fierce red-head for sheer amusement.

"So how about it? Is the Mystery Ashikabi your attacker?" asked Benitsubasa, already over the verbal gibe thrown at her from Karasuba.

"No...but just the same, I think I should investigate him. There's something up with him, and I want to know exactly what is going on around here," replied the Black Sekirei.

Naruto sat in his room, meditating, trying to reign in his worry and anger. What had Minaka meant by his parting words? What was the bastard planning? He was interrupted from his musings as the door opened. Most of the people in the house were outside, helping with chores, including one of Naruto's clones. So that left one person in the house. Opening his eyes, he saw Matsu tentatively enter the room.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked. "You seemed a bit out of it during breakfast..."

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Naruto, trying to ease the worries of the red-head.

"Don't try to tell me that," said Matsu, coming closer and sitting in front of her Ashikabi. I know something is wrong...I can feel it, and so can Akitsu and Amaya. What was that phone-call about?" Naruto sighed. He knew he wasn't about to get anything passed Matsu.

"It was Minaka." Matsu tensed at that, as she wasn't too fond of the game-master either. "He left me a message, and a warning. I don't know what's coming, but I didn't like how he said 'good luck in my game...with what's coming, you'll need it." The Brain-type Sekirei looked at her Ashikabi with worry. She had already gotten a bit of a grasp of his abilities, and while he had boasted his confidence, and had the element of surprise before, it had been lost now. Now Minaka knew Naruto's location, he already had the information on the Sekirei, and while those themselves weren't big deals, he also knew how to push her Ashikabi's buttons.

Reaching forward, she pulled Naruto close, pressing his chest against her...ample bust. "Hey, don't worry about us, ok? Just have faith in yourself and don't let Minaka get to you. He's a master at getting into the heads of others. You just need to keep a level head when dealing with him."

"I'm gonna kill that man one day," said Naruto, and she could both hear his resolve, and see it within his eyes. "I promise you and the others that. It's the promise of a lifetime, and I refuse to break a promise. Not again." Matsu quirked an eyebrow at that.

"Again? What do you mean?" Naruto sighed, before pulling off his shirt, making Matsu actually cringe at seeing what was there.

Across Naruto's chest was a large scar, traveling across his heart. What was horrible was the color. The scar had formed an inky, black color, and it looked like it was burned through. "What happened?" she asked, concerned for her Ashikabi.

"I grew up in a different type of society, Matsu," he replied. "I was part of our village's military force. But one of our own defected, and I was part of the team sent to bring him back. He was one of my teammates...my friend. When he left, it devastated our third teammate, Sakura...Before I left on the mission to bring him back, she made me promise to do so."

"And did you?" asked the red-head, though she already knew the answer.

"No, I didn't. We battled it out in a way that would make a lot of Sekirei jealous, but it turns out we were evenly matched for the most part. So in the end, we both put everything we had into one attack each. When they clashed, there was some kind of...backlash of energy. In the end, he gave me this scar before the energy ripped him apart, atom by atom, before I woke up in the park, in this new world...You probably think I'm crazy now, don't you?" Naruto was stunned when Matsu's hand came up and stroked his whisker marks, causing him to let out a strange purr.

"You're not crazy," she said, looking at him with concern. "And you don't have to worry about us. If you really want to promise me something, promise me this. Don't let the scars in your mind become worse than the scars of your body. You need to let go of the past." Getting in close, she pulled Naruto in for a kiss, her wings manifesting behind her as their lips met. Unlike their last kiss, this one had no sexual desire behind it. The two pulled apart and rested their foreheads against each other, looking into each others' eyes. Naruto couldn't help but smile and let loose a small laugh.

"Alright," he said. "I promise."

"Good," replied Matsu, smiling a bit as well, but it faltered upon once again gazing at the black scar marking his chest. His own personal curse, reminding him each day of what had been. "Because otherwise I'll have to get Akitsu and Amaya and we'll kick your ass." Naruto laughed at that.

"Alright," he chuckled. "Something tells me you could do it too." Naruto thought for a moment, before his face turned serious. "Matsu, I need you to do something for me."

"Sure, like what?" replied the red-head, happy to be thought of as useful. Unfortunately, Brain-type Sekirei weren't exactly the most sought after, as they had little, if any, fighting ability.

"You're good with computers, right?" he asked. Getting a nod from Matsu, he continued. "I need you to hack into the MBI database and find out as much information as you can on the other Sekirei and their Ashikabis."

"It may take a little while, but it's doable," replied Matsu.

"Good," said Naruto. "A wise old man once taught me that information is everything. I want to be the most knowledgeable about the Sekirei, second to only Minaka himself. Find everything you can, than print the files for me."

"Can do," replied Matsu, cracking her knuckles and getting up, leaving the room to go get to work.

Chapter end.

Hey everyone. Been having a hard time lately, with school and work, but I had a surge of inspiration for this one. Currently, I'm half-way through with the next Uzumaki X, and am working out the back-bone of the next Shadow of Vader chapter. I also have started work on Rise of the Phantom, and am close to done on Multorum Prime. I graduate High School next week, and then I'll have much more time to work. Hope you enjoyed.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics


	8. Find me on Twitter

I have decided that rather than have people keep PMing me about stories, to set up a Twitter account. Through this account, I will post regular updates on which stories I am working on, and how far they have gotten, that way, you can all take note of this and ease up a little on all the messages. The account is listed as

Fan_of_Fanfics

Hope you all can find me, my pic is the same on there as it is my profile.


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